The "Quick Questions That Don't Deserve A Thread"...Thread. v5 - Hardware & Software

[QUOTE=arleitiss;48859341]Hopefully last quick question I have: Is it worth updating BIOS? mine is F7, while newer one released last month is F8. Website states "Better system compatibility for Intel® 5th Generation Core™ Processors"[/QUOTE] It probably just updates what processors it can use. Not likely that it's relevant to you. I mean you can update as it probably won't hurt, but it probably won't do much either.

[QUOTE=arleitiss;48859341]Hopefully last quick question I have: Is it worth updating BIOS? mine is F7, while newer one released last month is F8. Website states "Better system compatibility for Intel® 5th Generation Core™ Processors"[/QUOTE] If you've got an overclock working well, and you don't have any issues caused by the current BIOS version, general rule of thumb is don't upgrade.

Yeah I went ahead and upgraded. All BIOS settings were reset, but still everything works fine and I managed to squeeze 4.6 out of overclocks at 1.280v although it got rounded up to 1.3v for some reason. Temps stay in 65-70 range. [t]http://i.imgur.com/ZLWVMTX.png[/t] Pretty happy with everything now. Next planned upgrade: Probably another 970 in few months time.

does anyone know if you can crossfire in OS X?

[QUOTE=arleitiss;48861120]Yeah I went ahead and upgraded. All BIOS settings were reset, but still everything works fine and I managed to squeeze 4.6 out of overclocks at 1.280v although it got rounded up to 1.3v for some reason. Temps stay in 65-70 range. Pretty happy with everything now. Next planned upgrade: Probably another 970 in few months time.[/QUOTE] Don't forget to do a 24 hour stress test. I did an OC and didn't stress it much more than a temp test, wound up crashing in the middle of a game.

Yo, I need to replace both my gpu coolers, and the model I'm looking at to do it uses up to 250watts to power itself, so potentially fucking 500watts just for gpu cooling, would I be safe to use a 750 watt power supply for this? Current specs are i5 4670k, 12gb Ram, a 2tb hdd, 250gb ssd, 2 gtx 760s in SLI, and like 6 case fans.

[QUOTE=hippowombat;48862645]Yo, I need to replace both my gpu coolers, and the model I'm looking at to do it uses up to 250watts to power itself, so potentially fucking 500watts just for gpu cooling, would I be safe to use a 750 watt power supply for this? Current specs are i5 4670k, 12gb Ram, a 2tb hdd, 250gb ssd, 2 gtx 760s in SLI, and like 6 case fans.[/QUOTE] two fans drawing 500W?????? that can't be true... link? in any case, to answer the question whether you can run two 760s + i5 on 250W, that'll be no.. but i'm 99% sure the 250W draw fans are not true.

[QUOTE=Jaehead;48862720]two fans drawing 500W?????? that can't be true... link? in any case, to answer the question whether you can run two 760s + i5 on 250W, that'll be no.. but i'm 99% sure the 250W draw fans are not true.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.arctic.ac/us_en/accelero-twin-turbo-ii.html[/url] It's like a whole heat sink setup, one for each card.

[QUOTE=hippowombat;48862774][URL]http://www.arctic.ac/us_en/accelero-twin-turbo-ii.html[/URL] It's like a whole heat sink setup, one for each card.[/QUOTE] idk where you got that 250W from though. 12V @ .12A is ~1.5W / fan. oh I see. cooling capacity is heat dissipation, not power draw. you'll be ok.

[QUOTE=Jaehead;48862871]idk where you got that 250W from though. 12V @ .12A is ~1.5W / fan. oh I see. cooling capacity is heat dissipation, not power draw. you'll be ok.[/QUOTE] Ooohhhhh jeez okay sweet that's REALLY good news :) so just so im sure, the 250w isn't what would be pulled from my PSU, that's just heat dissipation measurement? And those would only use like 6 watts between 4 fans?

[QUOTE=hippowombat;48862886]Ooohhhhh jeez okay sweet that's REALLY good news :) so just so im sure, the 250w isn't what would be pulled from my PSU, that's just heat dissipation measurement? And those would only use like 6 watts between 4 fans?[/QUOTE] yea it just means its capable of cooling 250 W. heat transfer is also measured in watts so I can see how it can be confusing.

Yeah, I was freaked out for a minute haha. Well awesome, thank you so much for the info!!

Hi! So like a week ago my laptop's hard drive broke and now I'm looking to order a replacement. Thing is this is the first time I've ever dealt with repairing laptops and I'm struggling to find the right replacement. I have a Sony VAIO SVE14AE13L, and I've looked up in amazon for a replacement hard drive for VAIOs, however I can't find one that explicitly mentions my specific model. Example: [url]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MWFJGJM?keywords=sony%20vaio%20hard%20disk&qid=1444421812&ref_=sr_1_7&sr=8-7[/url] And [url]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009KLJ5O2?keywords=sony%20vaio%20hard%20disk&qid=1444421812&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3[/url] Will these still work? What do I have to look out for when ordering a replacement hard drive?

[QUOTE=Trounark;48867342]Hi! So like a week ago my laptop's hard drive broke and now I'm looking to order a replacement. Thing is this is the first time I've ever dealt with repairing laptops and I'm struggling to find the right replacement. I have a Sony VAIO SVE14AE13L, and I've looked up in amazon for a replacement hard drive for VAIOs, however I can't find one that explicitly mentions my specific model. Example: [url]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MWFJGJM?keywords=sony%20vaio%20hard%20disk&qid=1444421812&ref_=sr_1_7&sr=8-7[/url] And [url]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009KLJ5O2?keywords=sony%20vaio%20hard%20disk&qid=1444421812&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3[/url] Will these still work? What do I have to look out for when ordering a replacement hard drive?[/QUOTE] Afaik all laptop hard drives are same. Just make sure dimensions match.

Hard drives vary in height actually. Looks like your Sony had a 9.5mm one though, which is as big as they get so any should do. I'd recommend [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QFXOL5G/?tag=pcpapi-20"]this one[/URL] or [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B4QESVQ/?tag=pcpapi-20"]this one[/URL].

[QUOTE=Levelog;48868335]Hard drives vary in height actually. Looks like your Sony had a 9.5mm one though, which is as big as they get so any should do. I'd recommend [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QFXOL5G/?tag=pcpapi-20"]this one[/URL] or [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B4QESVQ/?tag=pcpapi-20"]this one[/URL].[/QUOTE] My mistake then, I just thought height doesn't matter much as I've replaced HDD in my laptop before and it was a bit thinner. It was still fine though.

[QUOTE=arleitiss;48868392]My mistake then, I just thought height doesn't matter much as I've replaced HDD in my laptop before and it was a bit thinner. It was still fine though.[/QUOTE] Yeah going thinner is fine, but going thicker is not. Laptops designed for 7mm drives often cannot accommodate a larger 9.5mm drive.

Hi, I'm in the market for decently prices Gaming Pre-Builts, does anyone know of good sites where I could find some? I want something high quality that can be at a price range of maybe $1000-$1300,$1500 tops. Something that will set me up good for the rest of the decade maybe. Also I'm doing this on credit.

[QUOTE=Levelog;48868335]Hard drives vary in height actually. Looks like your Sony had a 9.5mm one though, which is as big as they get so any should do. I'd recommend [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QFXOL5G/?tag=pcpapi-20"]this one[/URL] or [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B4QESVQ/?tag=pcpapi-20"]this one[/URL].[/QUOTE] Thank you! I'll go with the 500GB one.

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;48869721]Hi, I'm in the market for decently prices Gaming Pre-Builts, does anyone know of good sites where I could find some? I want something high quality that can be at a price range of maybe $1000-$1300,$1500 tops. Something that will set me up good for the rest of the decade maybe. Also I'm doing this on credit.[/QUOTE] If you're going as far as to do it on credit... just consider a cheap build with a decent i5 and upgrade the graphics card every 2-3 years [editline]9th October 2015[/editline] you can scrounge together something with an ivy or sandy bridge i5 for less than $500 that'll handle anything you throw at it in 1080p for the next 2-3 years if you build it yourself in comparison to prebuilts

[QUOTE=fishyfish777;48869818]If you're going as far as to do it on credit... just consider a cheap build with a decent i5 and upgrade the graphics card every 2-3 years[/QUOTE] Well we can do $1000 perhaps plus, and so far I've found nice deals like this one: [url]http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9796131&CatId=114[/url] I just need more sites to work with. [editline]9th October 2015[/editline] And looks I cannot afford graphics cards at all, I do not have a job. I need to find a computer that can keep up with modern gaming for at least 5 years in my opinion.

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;48869826]Well we can do $1000 perhaps plus, and so far I've found nice deals like this one: [url]http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9796131&CatId=114[/url] I just need more sites to work with. [editline]9th October 2015[/editline] And looks I cannot afford graphics cards at all, I do not have a job. I need to find a computer that can keep up with modern gaming for at least 5 years in my opinion.[/QUOTE] You could try iBuyPower, they build to order. Decent quality and they offer warranties and have starting builds under $1K.

i'm saying you'll get around the same framerates saving $300 now and spending $100 of what you saved later on a new graphics card 3 years down the line Used / refurbished / individual on-sale hardware beats paying a significant amount of interest on monthly payments (especially if you can't meet one)

Is there enough of a difference between i5 and i7 I should be too concerend about? Or does it not matter either way? because iBuyPower is showing me $900+ rigs that sound good already

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;48869826]Well we can do $1000 perhaps plus, and so far I've found nice deals like this one: [url]http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9796131&CatId=114[/url] I just need more sites to work with. [editline]9th October 2015[/editline] And looks I cannot afford graphics cards at all, I do not have a job. I need to find a computer that can keep up with modern gaming for at least 5 years in my opinion.[/QUOTE] If you're positive you don't want to build it yourself, try the Intel B85 configurator on ibuypower with a few changes. NZXT Source 210 Case Nvidia 4gb GTX 960 Corsair CX500 power supply (Jesus that was hard to say) 1tb Western Digital Blue Windows 10 Home Premium

[QUOTE=Pvt. Martin;48869888]Is there enough of a difference between i5 and i7 I should be too concerend about? Or does it not matter either way? because iBuyPower is showing me $900+ rigs that sound good already[/QUOTE] i7s have hyperthreading, which allows them to use 8 threads with 4 physical cores. Not a single game that exists so far uses hyperthreading, so avoid it for now. That's $100 saved right away.

There's also the alternative of slapping a new power supply and graphics card into one of [URL="https://slickdeals.net/f/8151024-asus-m32-desktop-pc-6th-gen-intel-core-i5-6400-quad-core-8gb-ddr3-1tb-hdd-wireless-ac-bluetooth-win-10-429-99-free-shipping-amazon-in-stock?src=SiteSearchTest2#commentsBox"]these[/URL] or [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?sdtid=8151024&SID=0f7797b26f0111e5bee3a233133ff7c80000&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16883101216&cm_sp="]these[/URL], which could squeeze in something as hilarious as a i5-4460 / 6400 and a GTX980 in a $1000 budget.

[QUOTE=zombini;48869927]i7s have hyperthreading, which allows them to use 8 threads with 4 physical cores. Not a single game that exists so far uses hyperthreading, so avoid it for now. That's $100 saved right away.[/QUOTE] Clarification: Games don't have to be programmed specifically for hyperthreading. Only the operating system needs changes to support it. Games and other applications see it merely as double the number of cores. However, relatively few games right now use more than four threads, and so relatively few games will see any advantage from hyperthreading. Console ports (from the current crop of eight-core consoles) may use 8+ threads but won't need hyperthreading, because a big Intel core is easily twice as fast as a small AMD Jaguar core, so four fast cores will more than suffice. So in short, you don't need an i7 for gaming. You can probably get away with an i3 (dual-core hyperthreaded), if you aren't aiming for a very high-power system.

[QUOTE=gman003-main;48869990]Clarification: Games don't have to be programmed specifically for hyperthreading. Only the operating system needs changes to support it. Games and other applications see it merely as double the number of cores. However, relatively few games right now use more than four threads, and so relatively few games will see any advantage from hyperthreading. Console ports (from the current crop of eight-core consoles) may use 8+ threads but won't need hyperthreading, because a big Intel core is easily twice as fast as a small AMD Jaguar core, so four fast cores will more than suffice. So in short, you don't need an i7 for gaming. You can probably get away with an i3 (dual-core hyperthreaded), if you aren't aiming for a very high-power system.[/QUOTE] Pretty much this. Games can utilize hyperthreading. I know E:D does quite well. They may just not need it.

Well with finding a good PC with I5 on ibuy: [url]http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer-Paladin-D837[/url] I think I might have found my pre-built. There are a few things I noticed that I want to ask. Some things were crossed out like 8GB DDR3-[del]1600[/del] 2133 Memory and [del]24X DVDRW[/del] LG Blu-ray Re-writer Should I be concerned, what do they mean? What does "MSI Z97 G45 Gaming MB" mean? [editline]9th October 2015[/editline] Nope scratch what I said above, I just saw that it was default with a Nvidia 700 series, I'm aiming for 900 series. Soo much for $919 :v: